Sunday, August 15, 2021 4:00 AM
Attorney General Todd Rokita
Even typically savvy consumers are falling victim to a new scam in which they are emailed that they must unsubscribe from free-trial services in order to avoid charges on credit card accounts, Attorney General Todd Rokita warned.
The new scam is distinctive from others because the email instructs recipients to phone a call center for more information rather than providing links in the text of the message itself. (In some variations of this scam, the fraudsters may phone consumers rather than email them and leave callback numbers.)
Operators at the call centers direct callers to a fake company website and lead them through a series of online steps that installs dangerous malware onto the victims’ computer systems.
“Scammers are constantly becoming more clever and cunning in their tactics,” Attorney General Rokita said. “Our office is committed to making sure Hoosiers are aware and prepared to avoid these kinds of traps.”
Victims are less likely to suspect scams when they are the ones taking the initiative to gather more information, Attorney General Rokita said — such as having to phone a call center.
Further, email messages that contain malware links are often detected by computer security applications. The attackers in this case avoid such detection by leading victims to those links over the phone.
During the conversations, the scammers may ask callers to download a spreadsheet and follow other instructions. When callers say they do not recall…